Professor Somak Rahchaudhury is appointed vice chancellor of Ashoka University. He is a renowned Indian astronomer who serves as the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics' director at the moment (IUCAA).

Raychaudhury will take over from Malabika Sarkar, who completed her term after serving as Ashoka University Vice-Chancellor. She took charge as VC in August 2019.

Somak Raychaudhury was selected by a search committee consisting of the Chancellor, Deans, faculty members, founders and trustees of Ashoka University. His joining date will be announced shortly, the university website said.

Somak Raychaudhury holds a PhD in Astrophysics from Churchill College, University of Cambridge and undergraduate degrees in physics from Trinity College at University of Oxford and Presidency College at University of Calcutta.

He was earlier the Head of Department of Physics and Dean of Sciences at Presidency University. He also held various positions at the University of Birmingham, UK; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Lowell House at Harvard University; and the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge.

“Raychaudhury is one of India’s leading observational astronomers, and has made seminal discoveries using observations at radio, optical and X-ray frequencies. He pioneered the study of galaxy superclusters as the Universe’s largest structures, and has worked on exotic stars such as black holes in nearby galaxies,” the official statement read.